Today we remember, including here and here at Britannica Blog, the 30th anniversary of the shocking murder of John Lennon. Here are some other stories that caught my eye, as we go around the Web for December 8. If you have a story to be featured, let me know via @michael_levy on Twitter or via the Britannica Facebook page, where we encourage you to like us.

Nobel or Not to Nobel

In October, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that it had awarded the 2010Nobel Prize for Peace to Liu Xiaobo, China’s government blasted the committee. Mr. Liu, serving 11 years in a Chinese prison for subversion, will of course be absent from the ceremony, as will the representatives of at least 19 countries, (the previous link shows 18 countries, but Serbia has since said it will not attend), including China of course. Other countries boycotting of the 65 embassies sent invitations include, not surprisingly, Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran, but also not showing up will be Colombia, Russia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Says Doug Mataconis in Outside the Beltway, “What a lovely collection of rogues and cowards.” According to reporting by Wojciech Moskwa and Walter Gibbs of Reuters, the states not attending “have strong commercial interests at stake or share its [China's] hostility to Western human rights pressure.” Importantly, one senior diplomat said a reason for not attending was that “we do not want to further annoy China.” Not to be left out entirely, however, China has created its own peace award, says the New York Times‘s Alan Cowell, complete with a $15,000 cash award, and they have chosen Lien Chan, the former vice president of Taiwan.

With many countries in Europe being forced to trim their budgets during the economic downturn, now the Health at a Glance Europe 2010 report tell us that they should also be trimming their waistlines. The BBC’s Michelle Roberts reports that the rate of obesity has doubled in two decades in Europe (in some parts it has tripled, according to the World Health Organization), and more than half of adults are either overweight or obese. Obesity rates are highest in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Iceland, and Luxembourg, while Romania and Switzerland rank as the fittest countries.

The Great White House Christmas Tree Scandal?

Proving that it’s always silly season in politics, The Mail Online ran a headline about the White House Christmas tree that is priceless and almost seems like something you’d expect from the Onion (or maybe Fox News): “How many people does it take to put up a Christmas tree for the Obamas? Small army of White House minions takes four days at height of economic crisis.” (Emphasis added.) It does link to this video, though, which really gives an amazing time-lapse of the building/decorating of the tree–though of course that video (unlike the “news” story) focuses on the volunteers who gave their time to make the tree a reality. I didn’t know the Daily Mail was such a Grinch. Who’s not being a Grinch? Airports. For the season, many are planning entertaining, including caroling, choirs, crooners, and karaoke, says USA Today‘s Harriet Baskas (h/t The Sky Steward).

The Queen’s Underwear

In the news of the weird item (admittedly a few days old), according to TMZ, a 40-year-old pair of underwear that is purportedly Queen Elizabeth II‘s is going to go on the auction block. They were allegedly swiped in 1968 on a royal visit to Chile. The underwear is thought to possibly fetch $9,000.

Sharks on the Payroll of the Mossad?

Well, we know that in the Middle East some wild claims are often made about the all powerful Mossad, but this one is pretty out there. Along Egypt’s coasts, there have been a number of shark attacks, and now a regional governor says Israel might just be responsible for the incidents as an attempt to disrupt the Egyptian economy: “What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark (in the sea) to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm.” The Israeli government says that the claim is “too ludicrous” to comment. Conspiracy theorists, of course, would say that means that Israel doesn’t deny it, but as one poster said, this claim is “too stupid for words.”

Awesome Dogs

Back in September, OK Go released this amazing video that we featured on Britannica Blog. And, now in response, this awesome video, entitled, not surprisingly, “Dogs are Awesome TOO,” has been released. And, it is an awesome collection of various videos showing dogs doing amazing things (some from the silver screen and not real–National Lampoon’s European Vacation and Chevy Chase even makes a cameo), even though I defy anyone who can sit through the 7 1/2 minute video in one sitting. It includes this clip from 2008, which I’ll link to on its own, since it deserves its own treatment. Enjoy.